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“I’m very pleased that the jury ruled in favor of my client, they followed the law and returned with the correct verdict based on the facts,” stated Attorney Jeffrey Rich of The Law Office of Jeffrey M. Rich.

Tampa, FL (PRWEB)February 11, 2010

Tampa criminal lawyer Jeff Rich of The Law Office of Jeffrey M. Rich (http://www.tampacriminaldefenders.com/) received a Not Guilty verdict for his client charged with felony battery. Attorney Rich’s client was charged with Felony battery by the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s office for an altercation that occurred outside the St. Pete Times Forum on December 21, 2008 following the AC/DC concert. (Reference case # 08-CF-024737)

The defendant retained Tampa felony lawyer Jeffrey Rich when he was arrested and charged with Felony Battery for altercation in which he allegedly struck the victim with a single punch, causing the alleged victim to fall backwards and hit his head, knocking him unconscious causing permanent head injuries. The defendant justified his actions by claiming he was defending both himself and his vehicle after the alleged victim had struck the defendant’s vehicle several times and approached the defendant in an aggressive manner. The alleged victim denied all these claims. If convicted of the felony charge, the defendant faced a maximum of 5 years in prison.

The defendant retained Tampa criminal attorney Jeffrey Rich for his case, which was set to trial on February 3, 2010. During opening statements, Attorney Rich laid out a claim of self defense to justify the behavior of the defendant. The state presented four witnesses, once of which was an independent witness that had no ties to either the defendant or the victim. During cross examination, Attorney Rich was able to get the independent witness to admit that she had no knowledge of any of the actions that occurred prior to her seeing the defendant exit his car and strike the victim.

Additionally, Attorney Rich was able to illicit testimony from the independent witness that the single punch happened at the rear of the defendant’s vehicle -- a point that completely contradicted the allegation of the both the victim and his wife, who had previously testified that defendant exited his vehicle and walked 15 feet behind the vehicle to attack the victim. Tampa criminal lawyer Jeffrey Rich had the defendant take the stand in his own defense, during which he justified his actions by claiming he was in fear that the alleged victim was going to cause harm to both his person and his vehicle. During closing arguments, Attorney Rich asked the jury to use their common sense and to recall the testimony of the independent witness, as her story corroborated the version of events that defendant had testified to. After the deliberating for 90 minutes the Jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty.

“I’m very pleased that the jury ruled in favor of my client, they followed the law and returned with the correct verdict based on the facts,” stated Attorney Jeffrey Rich of The Law Office of Jeffrey M. Rich. “A felony conviction could have been truly detrimental to the defendant’s life, and likely would have resulted in significant prison time,” said Rich.

For more information on Tampa criminal attorney Jeffrey M. Rich, to read case results from The Law Office of Jeffrey M. Rich, or to get a free consultation on a Tampa felony or misdemeanor case, visit http://www.TampaCriminalDefenders.com or call 813-251-3330

About The Law Office of Jeffrey M. Rich
The Law Office of Jeffrey M. Rich is a full service criminal defense law firm serving clients in Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and all of the surrounding Hillsborough and Pinellas County area. Tampa Criminal Attorney Jeff Rich specializes in personalized, aggressive criminal defense in the areas of DUI and traffic law, felony and misdemeanor defense, and more. For more information on criminal defense services from The Law Office of Jeffrey M. Rich, or for a free consultation on your felony or misdemeanor case, call 813-251-3330 or visit http://www.TampaCriminalDefenders.com.